Over 200 Groups Call on Biden to Invoke Defense Protection Act + Resist Short-Sighted Domestic Fossil Fuel Policies

Mar 9, 2022

In the wake of Biden’s ban on Russian oil imports, groups call on President Biden to invoke the DPA to ramp up the deployment of renewable energy to transition the world off fossil fuels

WASHINGTON, DC — Following President Biden’s announcement on Tuesday that the U.S. will ban all Russian oil imports, more than 200 climate, Indigenous, social justice, religious, and progressive groups sent a letter to the White House urging President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) in order to ramp up the deployment of renewable energy to transition the world off the fossil fuels that are leading to global instability. 

Groups signing the letter included Oil Change International, Stand.earth, Center for Biological Diversity, Climate + Community Project, Common Defense, Indigenous Environmental Network, Global Witness, Sierra Club, Sunrise Movement, Women's Earth & Climate Action Network, and Win Without War. 

These groups, standing in solidarity with the Ukraine people, applauded the administration’s decision to halt oil imports from Russia and implored President Biden to continue to resist short-sighted policies such as scaling up domestic fossil fuel production or expanding oil and gas infrastructure and financing, which would only deepen our dependence on fuels that lead to global instability and drive further devastating climate impacts. 

The letter points to the power the oil and gas industry has provided for Putin, stating, “Putin’s ability to wreak such destruction on Ukraine is predicated on global dependence on fossil fuels. Oil and gas constitute forty percent of Russia’s national revenue, meaning Russian exports of oil and gas are literally funding this invasion.”

President Biden has the ability to deploy his executive powers to weaken the geopolitical power of fossil fuels, address the climate emergency, and prevent further mass suffering by invoking the Defense Protection Act (DPA) to produce alternatives to fossil fuels, fight the climate emergency, combat Putin’s stranglehold on the world’s energy economy, and support the transition to a renewable and just economy.

“A renewable energy future is a peaceful and ultimately more prosperous one.” Read the full letter here.